A/N: Once again a big thank you to Bailey1ak for all the help.
"Welcome back Colonel, Teal'c. Colonel I appreciate you sitting out the rescue mission." Landry said as he walked to his seat in the briefing room.
"The Hammond has a good crew, they can handle the mission without me." Sam shrugged. Landry nodded his thanks then looked round the table and said.
"Tell me you have something that will put an end to this."
"We have something." Barrett announced over the speaker phone. "We managed to trace the money to an account and then trace that account to someone on our radar."
"And?" Landry prompted when Barrett fell silent.
"We conducted simultaneous raids at all known locations and found several records. I've just sent the most relevant over to you."
"Give us a minute." Landry ordered as he signaled Daniel to project the information on the plasma screen. As he scanned the information realisation dawned and he asked. "They wanted Carolyn to recreate the Prior Plague?"
"In part." Barrett said. "Go to the bottom of the report." Again silence filled the room as Daniel navigated down the report. The silence was finally broken by Cam exclaiming.
"Ahh crap."
"What?" Vala asked, not noticing the trigger for his outburst.
"Then want to splice it with Michael's modified Hoffan virus." Cam explained.
"For those of you who don't read every mission report that comes across my desk, a race from the Pegasus galaxy called the Hoffans created a virus to counteract the Wraith." Landry explained when he saw all the blank looks. "That was then modified by Michael."
"Michael?" Vala asked.
"For now just know they want to take one virus and combine it with another." Cameron said, wanting to move the conversation on.
"And it will have very bad consequences." Sam said.
"Who on our side knows about the Hoffan virus?" Daniel asked.
"Drs Beckett and Keller are the experts." Sam listed.
"So Jennifer could still be a target?" Daniel went on.
"Based on what we found so far this was a two stage process. Stage one was to get what they needed from Dr Lam, then when Beckett or Keller were back on Earth take them." Barrett explained.
"Something doesn't make sense." Daniel said. "Why not take Jennifer when they had the chance? I mean they were trying to kill her."
"The team who carried out the kidnapping attempt were mercenaries. Their mission was to secure Dr Lam, they did not know about Dr Keller." Barrett said. "We think that the people behind this had no idea Dr Keller was back on Earth."
"Which means when they do she'll become a target." Cam concluded
"We think she already is." Barrett said. "We have an email reporting the fact that Dr Keller is back on Earth and was involved in the incident."
"And we sent her unprotected to Chippewa Falls." Cam said angrily.
"I would advise you put her in protective custody as soon as possible." Barrett said.
"Easier said than done." Landry commented. "Due to two separate incidents we currently have no ships stationed above Earth."
"I guess we fly the old fashioned way then." Cam said.
"Carter, Mitchell, Teal'c, go and secure Dr Keller and her father." Landry ordered.
"What about Dr Lam?" Sam asked.
"The base is as secured as we can get, for now she is safe." Landry said. "Daniel, Vala, I want you to assist Barrett in getting to the bottom of this. That will be all." He added before leaving the room.
"You heard the man, let's move out." Cam said.
-00-
"Ronon, Teyla, Dr McKay, Major Lorne. Thank you for coming so quickly, please take a seat." Woolsey greeted. McKay was going to point out how busy he was, but when he saw the expression on the bureaucrat's face he thought better of it and sat down. "As you are probably aware I have just had my routine check in with Earth."
"What happened?" McKay asked jumping to conclusions.
"Colonel Sheppard and Dr Keller were ambushed."
"They've been kidnapped?" McKay asked.
"No. They fought off the attackers, but the Colonel was shot and required surgery. He is currently recovering in the SGC infirmary."
"And Jennifer?" McKay asked.
"Dr Keller suffered relatively minor injuries from the car crash."
"Car crash?" McKay interrupted again.
"During the ambush." Woolsey explained before going on. "She was subsequently released and beamed to Chippewa Falls."
"So they caught the people behind this?" Rodney chipped in again.
"No."
"Then why is she not being protected?" Ronon asked.
"At the time it was believed that Dr Keller was not the target."
"At the time?" Ronon growled, sensing where the conversation was going.
"After she was beamed to Chippewa Falls new evidence emerged which suggested that she was a secondary target."
"So beam her back." Rodney suggested.
"Unfortunately it is not that simple. After she was beamed the Apollo was dispatched on an urgent rescue mission. Currently there are no ships in orbit above Earth. Colonels Mitchell and Carter along with Teal'c are heading to Chippewa Falls in order to move Dr Keller and her father to a safe house."
"A safe house? With her luck she should be move to Fort Knox." McKay said.
"That may be, but until there is a ship back in orbit a safe house will have to do." Woolsey said.
"Is there anything we can do to help?" Teyla asked.
"General Landry seemed confident that they had everything under control."
"Why does that not inspire confidence?" McKay asked.
"You want us to just sit here?" Ronon asked.
"General Landry believes he has everything under control." Woolsey repeated carefully.
"But you disagree?" Teyla asked.
"It is not my place to second guess the General." Woolsey said. "It is, however, my job to follow the advice of my senior team."
"Since when have you done tha- oww. What was that for?" McKay asked as Lorne kicked him.
"Sorry, cramp." The Major lied.
"So does anyone have anything they feel I should know?"
"Yes. Dr Keller has very specific protection needs." Lorne said. "And we are the experts."
"Your argument is compelling, but I can't send you to Earth." Woolsey said. "Well, that is to say I can't send all of you."
A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing. I'll try to get the next chapter up tomorrow.